Salt Lake City Olympic Venues

The Salt Lake Olympic area formed a ring of five connecting cities, with the Salt Lake metropolitan area as the central and most prominent feature.

The ring encompassed Ogden in the north, Provo/Orem in the south, Park City and Heber on the east, and Kearns and West Valley City just beyond Salt Lake City on the west. This Olympic area was approximately 113 km (70 miles) long and 80 km (50 miles) wide. Each of the venues were within a 10 to 60 minute drive from the Olympic Village, which was located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Venue History and Current Use

The Ice Hockey Arena at Provo was approved by the IOC Executive Board in February 1998 as a secondary Ice Hockey Arena. The venue was completed in 1999. The ice arena is open today to the public.

The cover for the Speed Skating Oval at Kearns received a new design featuring a 90-meter clear span roof free from interior columns. This allowed the facility to have a low exterior profile, which suited the scale of its surrounding environment.

In 2000 the master plan for the Utah Winter Sports Park's Bobsleigh/Luge and Ski Jump venue was completed. The venue included Bobsleigh and Luge start and finish houses, the K-90 and K-120 jumps, and common areas. The public is invited to tour the Utah Winter Sports Park. In season, tickets are sold for individuals to experience the bobsleigh for themselves. Spectators may watch ski jumping practice.

A design team for the Biathlon & Cross-Country Area at Soldier Hollow was selected; work began in April 1998. Trail layout and construction were completed in November 2000. The cross-country venue is available for the public to ski.

In the summer of 1999, the Alpine Skiing and Freestyle mogul courses at Deer Valley Resort, site of Slalom and Freestyle events was completed. Some Olympic runs are not open to the public, but the resort will be open to skiers throughout the winter.

Major grading began in summer 1998 at the Alpine Area at Snowbasin, site of Downhill and Super-G competitions. Construction on the chair lifts was completed in November 1998; construction on the snowmaking lines was completed in 1999. Snowbasin is open in the winter for skiers and snowboarders.